Automobile-theft preventer.



ST. GEORGE EVANS & E. B. BIRKENBEUEL.

AUTOMOBILE THEFT PREVENTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5.1918.

Patented Apr. 8,1919.

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sr. enonen EVANS AND EDWARD n. rmxnnnnunn, or PORTLAND, onneon.

AUTOMOBILE-THEFT I'BEVENTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A es, 1919.

Application filed larch 5, 1918. scrlal'lo. 220,612.

electric circuit, either for ignition or propelling purposes.

The objects of our invention are to provide a means for automatically signaling an attempt to move an automobile byunauthorized ersons; and to provide a means for locking t e electric circuit open, in which case it will be impossible to move the car by its-own power. Either object being attained at the will of the owner, as hereinafter described.

To accomplish these results we have constructed the mechanism as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Flgure 1 is a plan of a controlhng switch board for setting an alarm upon leaving car,

-' and releasing it upon returning to same, or

for opening the ignition circuit to prevent operation of the car; Fig. 2 is a plan of the switch board with the cover plate removed; Fig. 3 is a partial section through the device showing switch board cover, switch board, and horn cover partly cut away; Fig. 4 is a diagram of wiring arrangement; Fig. 4 (dotted lines) shows a series wiring through the coil box instead of the born for the purpose of breaking the circuit to disable the car.

Similar figures and numbers of reference refer to the same or similar parts throughoutthe several views. p

. A is the key of an ordinary two-way indicator snap switchwhich has the usual baseA and the indicator window. A for observing the position of numbers A. The Swap switches are mounted upon a switch board A which is secured to any suitable place, preferably inside the dash, but can be placed inside the. tool box or in any convenient er'concealed' place The electric horn B may be the one already on the car, or one having a special horn guard B The perforations B in the guard B are used to allow the sound to escape. A pipe B is used to ground the circuits and conduct wires to generators, the ob ect being, of course, to prevent tampering. The pipe B is secured to horn guard B by locked nuts B which are brazed in place to prevent removal. The switch board A is se cured to horn guard B by screws B which pass through the support'A".

Covering the group of switches is cover C whose walls C completely surround switch board A Cover C may beheld in place by a spring latch, friction, gravity, or

' by hinges and looks as seems most desirable.

In the top of cover 0 are holes C which are just large enough to admit the switch keys A Near each hole C is placed the key number C The current is supplied from the magneto C or if batteries are used to operate the car, that circuit may take the place of the magneto circuit. One pair of poles of each snap switch is wired in arallel through thealarm circuit. C", and the other pair of Soles is wired in series to ignition circuit 1 in which D represents the coil box.

The operation of our device is as follows: Upon leaving his car and desiring to protect it against theft the driver will operate one or more of the switches A taking care to remember which number or numbers'he operates. Let us assume that he operates numbers 5, 7 and 9, as shown in Fig. 1. To outward appearance the device shows no change; however, by inspecting Fig. 4 we will see that at keys 5,, 7 and 9 contacts are made across the parallel circuit C, which, if charged with electricity, will sound the alarm 13. This alarm will sound as long as the current passes through the circuit.

If the thief merely cranks a car equipped with this device the alarm is sounded provided the magneto switch is turned on. If

current which is offered to the spark plug is towa shunted through the alarm circuit -unless every switch in our device is turned so as to permit the current from the batteries or the magneto to pass'through its pair or oles which are in'the series circuit. It wi 1 be readil seen that if every switch isturned the series circuit it will be impossible to shunt 'thecurrent through the alarm, but when the driver of the car crates the switches 5, 7 and 9, as an (firmed, e not only sets the alarm, but, in at? 'tion, makes three breaks in the series wir' D by means of the same switches in whic he made a contact in the parallel Wiring 0. It mustbe evidentthat unless the circuit is restored it will be impossible to get the slightest ignition or to apply electric power to the circuits without sounding the alarm. 4

We have assumed that the thief did not see the device because of its being concealed, butlet us suppose that he discovered it and endeavored to re-set the keys. The difficulty of thisundertaking does not require description. He has no way of trying the ignition system without exposin himself by the sounding of the alarm. t us suppose that cover C is not locked and he removes same. Through the windows A appear the numbers A. These can be set in any position when the device is installed, but when the device isset to operate the car without sound- .ing the alarm they have a fixed value which is only altered when it is thought that someone has secured the combination.

Let us suppose that the driver returns and attempts to start his car. The first thing he shoul do is to operate the same switches he did before leaving his car. This should release the alarm and restore the ignition circuit. If, upon attempthig'to start his engine, .he finds that the alarm has sounded and no power results he knows at once that either he has not operated the proper keys upon his return or someone has tampered with his car. He now removes the cover C and a (glance at the numbers A in the win dows tells him what has happened, and all that it is necessary for him to do is to turn the keys back to the proper position. He, of course, having a mental or written record of the correct combination of the numbers.

For example :In Fig. 2 the combination would be 3, 2, 5; 6, 5, 7; and 2,7, 3, and he would know that it would be impossible to start his car unless these numbers appeared in the windows.-

If the engine then fails to start he will know at once that the fault lies elsewhere. He will then turn one of the switches and if he sounds the alarm,-the' next time he attempts to start the car, he can rest assured numbers A as a cover key position deterea mining means.

It will be seen that none of the keys need be in both the ignition and the alarm circuits; that all may be in bo th; that some may not be in either of the circuits, the various combinations being arranged at the 0 tion of theowner without departing from tl ie spirit of our invention.

"What we claim as new and desire to protest by Letters Patent of the Umted States, is:

1. In an automobile theft preventer, the combination of a number of two-wa switches, an ignition circuit wired throug said switches in series, an electric generator, an alarm circuit wired through sai switches in arallel, and an alarm means, substantia y as. described.

2. In an automobile theft reventer, the combination of a number 0 two-way indicator sna switches each consisting of a four pole switch having a rotatable blade member carried on a central key stem and arranged to brid the gap between either of the pairs of po es, a covered key position determining means, an electric generator an i nition circuit wired throu h sai switc es in series, an alarm circuit wired through said switches in parallel, and an alarm means.

3. In an automobile theft preventer, an ignition system com rising a nerator and circuit wires in com ination with a number of two-way indicator snap switches each consisting of a four pole switch having a rotatable blade member carried on a central key stem and arran ed to bridge the gap between either of t e pairs of poles, one pair of poles on each switch being wired in series'in said ignition circuit. The other pair of poles being wired in parallel across said alarm circuit, an alarmcircuit forming a shunt past said ignition circuit, and a key position determining means comprising a numbered dial mounted on each separate switch in a manner that only one number will show through an opening in said switch covering, a means for concealing said ex-' posed numbers comprising a cover for inclosing entire group of switches but allowing openings for the operation of said switch keys, and an alarm member, for the purpose set forth substantially as described;

4. In an automobile theft preventer, the combination ofan i ition circuit, two-way indicator snap switc as each consisting of a four pole switch having a rotatable blade member carried on a central key stem and arranged to brid e the gap between either of the pairs of po es, one air of poles being interposed in series in said ignition circuit, an alarm circuit, a power supplying means for both of said an electric alarm member wired in series in said alarm circuit, said alarm circuit passing in parallel through the other pair of poles of said two way switches, a key position determining means constituting indicator numbers on said switches, and a position concealing member consisting of a cover for the entire group of switches except the key portion and having an identifying means for the various switches consisting of a character 10 set near each of the respective openings in said concealing member.

ST. GEORGE EVANS. EDWARD B. BIRKENBEUEL.

Witnesses:

FLORA ELIZABETH EVANS, JULIA HALBERT BIRKENBEUEL. 

